Eyepennies was inspired by the death in March 2010 of musician Mark Linkous who recorded and performed under the name Sparklehorse.
Published as a B format paperback with wraparound cover art by Rik Rawling.
“A musician emotionally scarred by a near-death experience is haunted by his past, his present and his future in this chilling, slow burn of a ghost story. Read it!” Ellen Datlow
“Mike O’Driscoll is without doubt one of our best writers. I often wish he wrote more, because when he does produce something new – such as the excellent Eyepennies – it’s truly an occasion for celebration” Tim Lebbon
“A musician struggles to come to terms with his existence following a near-death experience, in a world where reality is something elusive and the darkness is always waiting. A beautifully written, evocative novella” Alison Littlewood
“A beautiful story suffused with the entangled mysteries of pain and life, as radiant as it is dark: the best kind” Stephen Volk
“Full of symbols and dread, a Cotard’s delusion set to O’Driscoll’s cool bluesy prose, Eyepennies makes a refined contribution to the TTA Press canon” Paul Meloy
“An oblique yet beautifully written story that slowly builds a number of emotional layers. O’Driscoll’s story reflects music, life and, of course, fear. The launch of the TTA Novella series is off to a very strong start with this daring yet emotionally grounded piece of writing that will linger in the brain of the reader like a haunting Sparklehorse melody” This Is Horror
“This had many unsettling images and some truly horrifying scenes. The theme of pennies on the eyes (to pay your passage to the next world) is present and used effectively. This is a good start to the TTA Novellas series and I will be looking forward to future tales. I highly recommend this one” SF Revu
“Eyepennies is a fine portrait of a person under psychological strain. O’Driscoll maintains the ambiguity over whether Mark’s experiences are supernatural or delusional in origin (and, indeed, over whether that makes any practical difference). The novella’s fragmented structure (reaching back into different periods of the protagonist’s life) further underlines the diffuse state of Mark’s mind. This is a good start for the novella series, and I look forward to future instalments” David Hebblethwaite
“O’Driscoll has written a tightly-constructed and sympathetic homage to a doomed artist where one man’s memory, dreams and timeline overlap to mind-bendingly nightmarish effect. If you like horror that is a bit out of left field, this will be right up your alley” Rue Morgue
